Animal Update: Freshwater Angelfish

Sixty freshwater angelfish have been added to our Amazon River Forest exhibit!

Published January 20, 2017

Native to the Amazon River basin in Peru, Colombia and Brazil, the freshwater angelfish live in areas where vegetation is dense. They inhabit rivers and have been known to congregate in flooded grounds or swamps.

These angelfish can grow to about six inches in length and eight inches in height. As a species, these fish are omnivorous, feeding on algae, small crustaceans and other bottom-dwelling invertebrates.

Males court females during breeding season. Both male and female fish guard eggs once fertilized and planted in a nest of aquatic vegetation. During the entire reproductive process, male and female fish remain as a pair to defend each other and their offspring.